


An Ill-Advised Attraction (ABANDONED)

by Daughter_of_a_Hufflepuff



Category: The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Drama, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I think that's it - Freeform, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Romance, because I said so
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25346107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daughter_of_a_Hufflepuff/pseuds/Daughter_of_a_Hufflepuff
Summary: When tragedy strikes, Andrew Winston, Dallas Winston's younger brother, is forced to move to Tulsa, Oklahoma in order to avoid going to into foster care. What he doesn't expect is to find love, but will he be able to handle having to live in secret? Will anyone find out? He can't avoid the truth much longer.Idk I suck at summaries. You should read this, there's a chance its actually not that bad.
Relationships: Steve Randle/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so in this universe no one died because I'm sad and I said so. I aged Dally up to 19 because it fit better with the story, but everyone else's age is the same.
> 
> Disclaimer: If I owned the outsiders do you really think I would be stuck in a cabin I the middle of the woods with my parents?

He gazed out the miniature airplane window, itching for home. Stars shone as sugar spilled over black marble, glistening in the sun, he couldn’t help but feel small knowing that there were millions of them out there. The night sky was how he came to wish to fly. It was the most beautiful art to him. At times he felt he could feel the vibrations somehow, whispering in a way ears cannot hear. It was mesmerizing, however, he still found himself staring at the mysterious-and dare he say attractive- stranger next to him. Andrew bit his lip as he watched the man beside him, perfection in denim. He let his eyes rise to his shoulders, broad and inviting, his type. He could detect the scent of cologne lingering in the air. He closed his eyes momentarily and lifted his head. The aroma was enough to flood his brain with endorphins, it was heady, perfect.  
“No.” he whispered.  
Andrew rested his head in his hands. He wasn’t supposed to think like that. Hadn’t his dad told him so many times how unnatural he was, that he didn’t need a sissy for a son?  
After all, no one wants a gay son, right? Whatever. He wouldn't want himself as a kid either.  
With a slow exhale he turned back toward the sky, beginning to mourn the opportunities he’d lost simply because of where he’d been born. No matter. He had decided long ago that even if he had to work six times as hard as every rich kid, he would succeed. Because he didn’t know what he would do if he couldn’t.  
With that thought in mind, he drifted to sleep, his head rested against the back of the uncomfortable seat. 

“Hey, Glasses! C’mon, plane has landed, time to wake up.”  
“Huh?” Andrew blinked his eyes open, squinting at the bright light. The stranger sitting next to him was now standing up, and the light outside had changed from the dark of midnight to the hours just before sunrise. His tired mind couldn’t comprehend the situation, and his mouth opened without his consent.  
“You ‘ave nice...lips,” he slurred tiredly. Mysterious stranger quirked an eyebrow, amused.  
“Is that so?” he questioned with an entertained smile. That was enough to snap Andrew into full consciousness, and he blushed bright red. He stuttered for about half a minute before spitting out an explanation.  
“I- er, that is to say, um, well, I only meant that, they’re, you know, I mean, objectively, decent, as far as lips go.” Objectively decent? Wow, really nailed that one, Andrew.  
“Hm, okay.” The mysterious stranger offered him a hand, and Andrew allowed himself to be pulled into a standing position. He stretched his arms, and felt his back crack as everything shifted into place, although, he noted with a frown, his neck felt stiff and sore from the position he’d been in.  
“Well,” the stranger pulled his attention once again to his gorgeously dark eyes, “In case you were curious about the owner of these ‘Objectively Decent’ lips, my name is-” He was cut off as the flight attendant came on the speaker.  
“Ladies and Gentlemen, you may now leave the plane. We thank you for choosing Ozark airlines. We hope you enjoyed your flight, and have a wonderful day!” Andrew looked back at where the stranger had been, and was surprised to find himself slightly disappointed when he wasn’t there. Oh, well. He had other things to worry about, anyway. Namely, finding the brother he hadn’t seen in at least three years. 

As he stepped into the airport, he was relieved to see Dallas standing near the front, and immensely grateful he hadn’t changed past recognition. He was a bit annoyed to see that Dallas had grown taller though, irritated to see he still towered over Andrew.  
He made his way over, making eye contact with his brother as Dallas’s eyes softened.  
“Hey, kiddo.” he said, ruffling his hair, “You got everything you need?”  
He nodded, awkwardly patting his bag and pushing his glasses further up on his nose.  
“Alright, then, I guess we better get going. Are ya hungry?”  
“Maybe a bit.” he responded, to which Dallas gave him a knowing look.  
“Have you eaten at all today?”  
Shoulders slumped, he reluctantly replied with the truth. “No…”  
“Then you’re eating. No arguments.” he added firmly as Andrew opened his mouth to reply.  
“Dallll” he whined. He knew it was immature, but he felt shaken up and he really hadn’t had much of an appetite since it happened. As much as Dallas could act like this was new and exciting and try and make it fun, they both knew he was only moving in with Dally because all his other family, including his dad, were dead. Not that they’d had a great relationship since Andrew got caught behind the high school with Chris Johnson, but still, losing all of your living family besides your older brother who you hadn’t seen in years just a week after your 17th birthday was bound to make a person at least a bit upset.  
Dally must have sensed something wrong, because he opened his mouth.  
“Look, Andy, I ain’t gonna pretend to be good at all this brother stuff, so there ain't gonna be a big talk or whatever. What I am gonna say is I understand that you’re upset and it's hard leaving everything you know, but as long as you’re living with me I won't tolerate you ignoring any of your basic needs. Understood?” He explained sternly, but maybe a bit nervously?  
Andrew sighed. “Understood.”  
“See, was that so hard? C’mon, we can stop somewhere on the way home, okay?” Andrew nodded, as Dallas threw an arm over his shoulder.

“Hey, kid, have you gotten shorter?” 

As they neared the town, Andrew leaned his head against the window of his brother’s old car, tired. The old car cruised down the highway, going south. Andrew was sitting in the passenger's seat with so much leather surrounding him that he could barely hear the engine. At eighty miles per hour it was only idling, yet he could still hear the power of the car. He adjusted himself, flinching as the seat stuck to his behind. Staring out the once more he couldn’t help but wonder what his life would be like from now on, in this small town.  
When they’d talked over the phone, Dally had explained that he had a group of friends who he referred to as “the gang”, and that his friend Darry was raising his younger brothers. He mentioned that there was a boy who was apparently named ‘Sodapop’, that was his age, who had lost his parents, and the social worker told Dally it might be good for him to talk to someone his own age about what had happened.  
Andrew wondered what would happen if they knew his secret, but stopped himself before he could fall down that rabbit hole of emotion. Nothing good ever came from thinking about boys, and he couldn’t afford to have a panic attack right now, even if Dally wouldn’t hurt him for it.  
He was jerked out of his thoughts as the car stopped in front of an old but welcoming house.  
“Alright, kid, we’re here. You ready?” Dally announced. He turned around to face him, a questioning look on his face.  
“Yeah,” Andrew responded. Realising a sigh, he opened the car door. “Why not?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the Curtis's house, Andrew reunites with a familiar face. I bet you can guess who it is ; )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I know it's been a bit since I posted the last chapter, but hopefully there'll be less wait time between this one and the next. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: If I owned the outsiders I would probably have my own bathroom.

As Andrew walked through the front door, he couldn’t help the nervous breath he took in. These people were his older brother’s best friends, and although he didn’t say it, Andrew knew Dally considered these people to be his family. If they didn’t like him, well, he didn't  
want to think about where he’d end up.   
Dally must’ve sensed something was up, because he grabbed his shoulder right as he was going to exit into the living room.  
“Kid, I can hear you stressin’ from here. Stop thinking so much, ‘kay? No reason to be anxious, just dinner with friends, right?” Andrew found himself blushing out of sheer embarrassment. Had he really been that loud?   
“R-Right.” He stuttered out a response. 

Dal released his shoulder, and with a donning feeling of inexplicable dread and impending doom, he entered the living room.

He didn’t know what he expected to see, but it was certainly not this. The only word he could think of to describe it was chaos. Mickey mouse was playing on the TV, and someone who looked about 18-19 sat in front of it with a beer. Two kids, maybe 15 at the very most, sat talking on the couch, and he found himself accidentally eavesdropping on their conversation.  
“I’m tellin’ ya Johnny, he’s crazy! Won’t even let me see Curls anymore, says he’s a ‘bad influence!’” one of the boys complains, to the other, who he assume It’s Johnny. 

He jumped as a tall man stepped out of the kitchen, waving a wooden spoon around with no more grace than a heavy weight, his long arms weaving themselves through the small crowd.   
“Ponyboy Micheal Curtis, if I hear you so much as mention Curly Sheppard one more time I swear I’m gonna-”

At this point, he seems to notice Andrew and Dally standing awkwardly in the doorway. Well, more like Andrew standing awkwardly next to a perfectly confident Dallas, but either way, he walked forward to greet them. 

He swept Dally up in a hug, muttering about staying away for too long. Once that was done, he turned to Andrew, smiling warmly.

“And I assume you’re Andrew”, he paused, waiting for Andrew to confirm with a nod before he continued, “Well, Andrew, it’s great to meet you, and I don’t know where they are right now, but Steve and Soda are your age and I’m sure they’d love to meet you.” He finished with a warm handshake, before heading back to check on the food. Andrew is too awkward for this, he makes that clear.

Dal turned towards him, probably to ask how he felt or something equally as embarrassing, when two wrestling figures burst through the front door, the sound shortly catching up to them.

“Oh, come on, Soda, we both know you cheated!” One of the figures yelled, and his voice sounded weirdly familiar.

“Boys!” A playful yell sounded from the kitchen, and the ‘boys’ straightened up.   
One of them walked towards them , probably saying something about how much he’d missed Dally, but Andrew didn’t notice much. He was too busy staring at the other boy. 

Shit. 

He could see his eyes widen when he recognized Andrew. Oh my god. The other boy, Steve, quickly hid his surprise, and Andrew figured he better hurry up and do the same.

Steve threw on a cocky grin that didn’t quite manage to reach his quickly narrowing eyes, and stuck out a hand. 

“Hiya, I’m Steve Randle, and this cheatin’ idiot here is Sodapop.”

Soda immediately objected with a shout, but Andrew’s brain was too busy running 100 miles an hour trying to fit this new information in with his plans for his life. It was all quickly becoming too much, and the air was too hot, and the room was closing in on him and he could feel everyone’s eyes on him, and he needed to go outside now. 

He mumbled some half hearted excuse to Dally before running outside, too preoccupied to consider the possible consequences of his actions. 

As he leaned against the creaky wooden banister, he felt a familiar hand land on his shoulder, and after a minute or two, he heard a voice, although it sounded like it was underwater. 

“- alright, you’re okay, kid. Hush, everything’s okay. No need to get worked up.” At this point Dally seemed to notice Andrew's awareness, because his body sagged with relief. 

“You with me, kid? C’mon now, take a few deep breaths for me. There ya go, that’s it.”  
Andrew’s breathing began to level out, and he felt his face go bright red when he realized he’d been clutching at Dally’s shirt like a little kid. 

“I’m sorry.” he apologized, with a bashful look.   
“No need to apologize,” Dally waved him off, before continuing, “You wanna tell me what that was about, Andy? What happened?”   
He looked genuinely concerned, and Andrew felt a sudden stab of guilt for being the reason for that look. 

“It’s nothing, Dal. Honest!” he added at Dally’s obviously unconvinced look. 

“Buddy, I know you, and I know nothing, and that was definitely not nothing. You don’t have to tell me right now, but know you can, kay?”

At Andrew’s nod, he started leading both of them back into the house. He’d clearly already explained at least a bit about what happened, because aside from a few looks everyone pretty much pretended nothing had happened. 

The table was set, and the kitchen smelled amazing. Sure enough, the food was absolutely delicious, and despite the slightly awkward energy around the table it was one of the most enjoyable nights he’d had in a long time. 

After dinner, when everyone was sitting in the living room chatting and joking around, he couldn’t help but notice when Steve got up to use the bathroom, and he figured now was as good a time as any to confront him about what had happened on the plane.

He positioned himself outside the bathroom door and tried to ignore the part of his brain insisting he was being creepy. 

After a minute, Steve exited the small room, and he looked unsurprised, like he had expected this moment to come and had resigned himself to his fate. 

“We need to talk.” he decided, he had nothing to lose and Andrew guessed it was better to be blunt in this particular scenario. 

Steve sighed. “Yeah, I know. First things first, you should know I never would have talked to you if I had known there was any chance of me seeing you again, I assume the same goes for you?” Andrew nodded, figuring as much. It wasn't safe to talk like that to people you knew or would eventually know. 

“Right, but that’s not what happened. What happened... happened, and now we need to figure out how to deal with it before anyone finds out. I don’t know about you, but I can’t risk Dal finding out under any circumstances.” Andrew was about to continue, when he was rudely interrupted once again. 

“Woah woah woah. I’m not like you. I’m not gay or whatever!” he insisted, spitting out the word like it physically hurt him, and Oh Boy, if that didn’t feel just like a punch to the stomach.

“Right,” He scoffed, “You just go around flirting with random guys you meet on airplanes for the fun of it. Okay.” Andrew was Not In The Mood to put up with this type of bullshit, and it showed. 

“I mean it!” Steve insisted, “I’m not! I like looking at guys, and kissing them sometimes, but I don’t want to fall in love with one. And besides, I like girls… boobs!” 

Andrew snorted. This night really had gone from super fun to horrible, hadn’t it? Turns out the perfect, charming man he had met on the plane was actually just a cowardly little Dick, who enjoyed his fair share. . At this point he was getting pretty annoyed, and honestly, he was more than a bit disappointed.   
“Alright, well, that seems like a problem for you. I just need to make sure my brother won’t find out about my lack of interest in the opposite sex, and I need to know you won’t snitch, so are you gonna?” he was beyond ready for this conversation to end. 

“Yeah, I’m not gonna tell, if you won’t... Deal?” he held his hand out, but this time it wasn’t a welcome greeting, and Andrew desperately took it. 

“Deal.”

He returned to the couch, and a few minutes later Steve joined them, dodging questions about where he’d been with jokes about getting lost on the way to the bathroom. Andrew started leaning more into Dally’s side to hint he was ready to leave, and Dally picked up on it not too long after. 

They said their goodbyes, and the next thing Andrew knew someone was shaking him awake and the car was parked in front of a mildly shady looking building. 

“Hey, kiddo. You fell asleep. Come on, your room is all set up, all you have to do is get changed into your Pajamas.” Dally whispered, and Andrew mumbled something incoherent. 

He somehow managed to stumble up the stairs, into his room, and into his bed. His last thought before he surrendered to the call of sleep was ‘My god, Steve Randle really is a major dickhead!’ And with that thought in mind, he drifted into a blissful rest. Sure, come morning he would have a lot to think about, and problems that needed facing, but for now all he had to do was sleep. Thank god.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave a comment and let me know what you think! Constructive criticism only please! Again, thanks, and have a wonderful rest of your /Day/Night!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew goes to his first day of school, the author is, as always, really bad at summaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Long time no see. School started up, and I would give a warning about updates becoming less frequent if my update schedule didn't already leave something to be desired. You know the drill, comments give me life, I adore constructive criticism, etc. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: If I owned the outsiders I probably wouldn't have a curfew

Andrew wakes as if it is an emergency, as if sleeping had become a dangerous thing. His heart beats fast. Dallas billows over him with a shit eating grin, snatching the covers away faster than he could count.   
“Wakey wakey!” Andrew groaned and tried to roll over, to no avail. “Ah-ah, you’ve got your first day of school today, c’mon, up you get.” Andrew made a point to groan louder.   
“Aw, c’mon Dal, why'd we have to get up so early? It’s still dark out!” he placed his hand over his face, shielding his eyes.  
“We have to go in early to get your schedule, kid.” Dally explained, and, In all honesty, he didn’t see the point. The policies corrupted the school building with enough grace to turn parents' heads, but not Andrews. . He groaned one last time before blearily sitting up and watched as his legs dangled over the white polyester sheets. .   
“Atta boy, Andy. I’ll be downstairs, come on down when you're ready for breakfast.” Dal ruffled his hair, then left, failing to close the door once more. .

As he walked down the stairs, he found himself looking at the new surroundings. The stairs were creaky, and there were a lot of clearly hung over young men strung around the house in various positions. He forced himself not to stare.   
At the counter, Dal was bent over, talking to a guy who looked only a couple years older.. Andrew analyzed the situation, dragging his blurry vision across the countertop before landing his gaze back to Dal, who unfortunately, stared back.  
“Hey, sleeping beauty. How’d ya sleep?” Blushing would have been just fine in this situation, but what Andrew did was turn bright red, radiating like a hot pan. . He hated when Dal babied him in front of other people.   
“Slept fine, woulda been better if ya didn’t wake me up so early.” The worlds twirled around his head before stabbing him in the back, making him quickly regret his actions. 

“Hey now, kid, none of that lip.” Andrew was rewarded with a stern look.  
“Yes, sir!”   
“That’s better. Now, I have two people I’d like you to meet. This here” He pointed to the older guy, “is Buck, and this idiot” he pointed to the other one as he approached from the shadow, who before now, Andrew hadn’t noticed “is Tim Sheppard. I believe his kid brother goes to your school. Dally whipped around and faced the guys, turning his back to Andrew, “Fellas, this”, he pointed to Andrew, “is my kid brother Andrew.”   
They looked at him expectantly, so he returned a slight wave before making a beeline for Dal. These people made him feel anxious, and even though Dally was a bit annoyed with him, at least he knew Dal. Andrew leaned into Dally’s side throughout the conversation, only stopping when he felt a hand gently rub the side of his arm. Maybe Dallas could sense his discomfort, because he squeezed his shoulder and announced that they had to get going. 

The trip was too short for Andrew’s liking, and pretty soon they were sitting in front of your stereotypical school-type building. Dally got out, and Andrew realized he had no choice but to follow. They walked across the parking lot, into the school building, where the receptionist greeted them before they were directed into the principal's office.

The principal, Mr. Strickland, was middle aged, balding, and looked very disappointed that he’d ended up a highschool principal. He also appeared to know Dally, and from the look he sent Dally’s way Andrew could gather they didn’t have many fond memories. Nothing they would laugh about at the assemblies.

“Dallas Winston.” Mr. Strickland gave them a tight lipped smile.“And Andrew Winston... I presume?” He smiled in a way that didn’t quite reach his eyes, and Andrew had a feeling things would have gone downhill very fast if those two girls didn’t burst into the office at that exact moment, causing a whirlwind of motion. 

“Hey, Mrs. T! This is Charlie Layton, reporting for my ever so important school council duties.” A loud blonde girl, with green eyes and a bob, scanned the office before landing on him. Her face lit up, and she dragged her brunette counterpart across the room. The brunette in question had long hair in ringlets, held back by a pink headband, and Andrew had to admit they made an unlikely pair. 

“Hello! I’m Charlie, it’s short for Charlotte but don’t you dare call me that, and this is Annie!” Annie stepped up, flawlessly continuing their speech.  
“We’re in your homeroom, and since Charlie here is part of the school council we were assigned to give you the tour!” 

Andrew looked to Dally, who nudged him in the direction of the girls.  
“Go on, kid. I’ll sort all the boring stuff out with Mr. Strickland here, and I’ll be back to pick you up at the end of the day.” He ruffled his hair and handed Andrew his schedule before turning back to the large stack of paperwork.   
Andrew found himself being dragged down the hall in what he was sure was the weirdest school tour in history. He found out that Charlie and Annie had been best friends since First Grade, and that Annie wasn’t actually on the school council, she just tagged along with Charlie wherever Charlie went, and the school had given up on separating them. Andrew was also relieved to find that he was in a lot of the same classes as the girls, and they were in the same lunch group. 

They finished the tour early and ended up hanging out in the courtyard, just chatting. He ended up getting along really well with both of them, and before he knew it the bell was ringing, signaling 5 minutes before the start of homeroom. 

“Okay, Andrew, this is Chris. He’s been totally in love with Ella for, like, forever, but he won’t say anything ‘cause he’s a total coward.” Annie gave the boy a quick introduction. Chris had red hair and blue eyes, and apparently he’s had a major growth spurt over the summer, which explained why he kept bumping his head on the door frame.

A less welcome surprise was the fact that Steve Randle was in almost all his classes, and he was definitely not being subtle about the glares he sent Andrew’s way.

“Woah, I’ve never seen Steve this hostile towards anyone. What’d you do?” Charlie questioned, and Andrew gritted his teeth and counted to ten before deciding to answer with simply, “He’s an asshole.” Fortunately, the rest of the group caught on quickly that this was a touchy subject for him, and left it alone. 

The rest of the school day went pretty smoothly, and as he exited the school building he found he was excited for this year's upcoming school semester . Huh. That was new.   
Of course, right as he thought he was having a great day, Steve Randle had to come and ruin it.   
As Andrew made his way around to the front of the building, he felt an arm reach out and yank him back. An arm belonging to the one and only Steven Randle. It should probably be mentioned that Andrew was extremely tired, and under any normal circumstances he would have simply left. Alas, these circumstances were far from normal. 

“Hey! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Steve froze, looking stunned that he would have the courage to stand up for himself.   
Andrew decided to make the best of this opportunity. “Look, asshole, I don’t know what you get out of silently glaring at me all day, but I would like to point out that I have done absolutely NOTHING to you! In fact, if anyone has a right to be angry here... it’s me. You have been nothing short of unbearable since I got here, and I don’t know what this has to do with me, but I kindly request that you sort out your sexuality problems away from me. You have fun with your giant god complex.” He turned to walk away, but before he could Steve started yelling.   
“Oh, really, I have no reason to be mad? You show up out of nowhere, you flirt with me, and then you act all innocent, making me out to be the bad guy, when in reality I bet you’re no angel yourself!” Andrew scoffed.  
“Careful there, your personality is showing, you wouldn't want people to think you have emotions, right? Because that would totally ruin the whole ‘Big, strong, man’ thing ya got goin’.” Steve turned red.  
“Fuck off! You know nothing!” Neither noticed that they had been moving closer to each other throughout the argument, until they were yelling directly in each other’s faces.  
“Oh, I know nothing? That’s rich, coming from you. Y’know what? FUCK YOU, Steve Randle, Go to hell.” He paused to take a breath, and suddenly found himself pushed against a brick wall with Steve’s lips pressed against his. Oh. That was… different?. His lips brush Steves. Not innocently, like a tease but hot, fiery, passionate and demanding. Andrew wants to pull away before he loses himself but he can’t seem to.  
Once he snapped back to his senses, he started kissing back, and, wow, okay. He didn’t mind this. Placing his hand around the back of the young greaser’s neck, dropping it slowly and outlining his chest.  
They were just beginning to find a rhythm when just as suddenly as it had started, Steve was gone. Andrew opened his eyes, and felt his stomach drop down to his toes.

Dally had Steve by the collar of his shirt   
“What. The. Fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I know I left y'all gonna bit of a cliff hanger, but fear not, I already have an outline for (most of) the next chapter.
> 
> I hope you have a wonderful rest of your 24 hours! 
> 
> Bye for now!


	4. Abandoned

Hello all! I'm sorry to any of you that might be disappointed by this, but I've really lost inspiration for this fic, and I'm not really in this fandom anymore. There's also a lot going on in my personal life with school and family stuff. so idk. I might come back at some point, but I also haven't gotten many views lately, so I wouldn't count on it. I think I'll leave it up though in case anyone wants to read what's already written

**Author's Note:**

> Ok that was probably Really awful but please don't hate! It's my first time publishing anything. I except Constructive criticism only, but please tell me how I can improve.


End file.
